DRAMA TERMS

Drama a story written to be performed by actors

Comedy a play that has a happy ending

Catastrophe the point in a tragedy where the main character(s) meets his unhappy end (most often death)

Tragedy a work of literature that results in a catastrophe (normally death) for the main character

Stage Directions Instructions printed in italics used to describe sets, lighting, sound effects, and the appearance, personalities, and movements of characters perfoming a particular play (not meant to be spoken)

Dramatic Irony when the audience knows something that the characters don’t yet know

Dialogue a conversation between two or more characters

Monologue a speech by one character in a play to other characters

Aside a short speech that the audience is intended to hear but other actors on stage do not

Soliloquy a long speech expressing the thoughts/feelings of a character alone on stage

Character Foil When a character is used purposely as a contrast to another charcter

Exposition the part of the story that introduces the characters, the setting, and the basic situation (the prologue in R & J)

Prologue Like a short story’s exposition, this is the opening speech that introduces the play’s main characters, plot, and setting

Rising Action all events leading to the climax/turning point, which provide optimism and hope

Climax/Turning Point a drama’s high point of interest or suspense that causes the shift from rising action to falling action

Falling Action the downward spiral of events that follows the climax/turning point

Resolution when the conflicts unravel, a general insight or change occurs, and the story comes to an end

Frey tag’s Pyramid a method created by a critic that is used to examine Shakespeare’s tragedies